<h1>China and Maldives agree to deepen ties via Free Trade Agreement and expanded Belt and Road cooperation across multiple sectors</h1> Chinese and Maldivian heads of state met on the sidelines of an international summit and agreed to deepen bilateral ties through effective implementation of their Free Trade Agreement and expanded Belt and Road cooperation. They identified priority areas including fisheries, marine scientific research, environmental protection, disaster prevention, trade, investment, housing construction and tourism, and pledged closer coordination within multilateral forums. The Maldivian leader, on a second visit to China, reiterated willingness to expand cooperation after recently normalizing relations with a regional neighbour following earlier tensions and subsequent economic assistance that eased a foreign-exchange crisis.